Peanut Type Foods to Avoid

L.,

You may wish to discuss this with your son's allergist. Our allergist told us that foods fried in peanut oil are okay because the temperature cooks the "peanut" qualities down. My three-year old is very allergic as well. But we really don't have trouble with "kid" food. He likes fries, sandwiches and burgers. My son also likes soy butter in lieu of peanut butter. He eats soy butter and jelly sandwiches and crackers with soy butter for snack sometimes. He actually loves it! I know many other moms that give their kiddos almond or cashew butter instead of the peanut variety. Good luck!

- C.

Read the backs of everything before you buy it... or even what you have in your house. Many foods come with a label that says, "this product does not contain nuts but was produced in a factory that also manufactures nuts/nut products". So, you have to steer clear of those foods too.

My ds is not allergic to peanuts; however a neighbor of ours is and I can give you a vague idea of what she looks out for. For starters, they have no nut butters, peanuts, etc of any kind in the house whatsoever in case the oil gets on something and they don't clean it up enough. You will need to check with the different fast food places but I know Chick Fil'A is out for sure because they fry in peanut oil. Also, many Asian foods contain peanuts or peanut products such as oil so you'll probably want to avoid that too. The other thing I know my neighbor has to be careful is regarding birthday parties and which bakery the cake came from. I think she just called around and figured out which one does not use peanuts or tree nuts. Good luck to you. I know how difficult this can be.

If you were referred to a pediatric allergist, they will give you a list of places to avoid. A friend has a daughter who is severely allergic to peanuts too. They see Dr. Sugarman in Frisco and he provided them with a lot of information. I do know that Chick-fil-a uses peanut oil. Also, a lot of candies use peanut flour. They have had a hard time going to birthday parties because there is often peanut flour in the icing or cake decorations, and many labels do not list the allergy warning.
You'll become an expert at knowing the ingredients of things, but watch out because something that was once peanut-free may begin carrying the peanut allergy warning because of a new product in production, or changes at the packaging plant, etc.
Our friend does a lot of shopping at Whole Foods and Sprouts for peanut-free cereals and snacks.

Hi, the only thing I have to add to the wonderful information you have gotten is, Lucille's, a restaurant near downtown Ft. Worth used to use peanut oil ( I don't know if they still do), and they didn't even advertise the fact. Hope this helps.

Best wishes,
D.

You'll have to get really, really good at reading the labels when you shop. Some snacks like kettle chips can be fried in peanut oil. Many, many baked goods or snacks are manufactured not using peanut ingredients but on the same equipment as peanut products. Plain M&Ms are one such snack.
Several types of nuts can be prepared in the same plant as other nuts.

Packages are required to list any allergy information, usually in bold just following the ingredient list. If a product is from the same machinery or the same facility with peanut products, the package will state this. One reason this is so important is that peanut particles become airborne and are easily spread around. They can sicken an allergic person just by their smell or proximity to the peanut product.

My 2-yr-old daughter is allergic to peanuts. We tested her for this because her father is highly allergic and has been to the emergency room on various occasions for this. We carry Epipens for both of them. Once I ate a Snickers at work, picked my DD up hours later and kissed her face. I won't make that mistake again - she broke out terribly all over and wheezed, but fortunately did not have a severe anaphylactic reaction that time. The reactions are known to get worse, not better, with repeated exposure in the case of a peanut allergy.

The most popular types of Thai dishes, like pad thai and Americanized dishes that go by names like "spicy Thai noodle" or "spicy Thai chicken wrap" will very frequently contain peanut sauce. We often order Thai food, but we always specify no peanuts on anything and tell them it's because of an allergy. Peanuts are often a garnish so it's easy to order without peanut, however we must be clear so that the chef will avoid cross-contamination. This may not be a risk you want to take, as well as dining inside a Thai restaurant where someone nearby may order a dish with peanuts. Sounds like your son is too young to let you know if he's bothered or sickened by the peanut aroma, so you may want to play it super safe on that.

I have found printable allergy cards available online, or those that you can purchase from www.achooallergy.com/foodallergycards.asp
These are intended to help communicate clearly with staff when eating out.

The main thing is to be super-vigilant. You never know what something contains, or the extent of awareness of people around you, including other parents, child care, food service workers.

Feel free to message me for any more info. I've been dealing with this since DD was small and fortunately have the insight of my boyfriend with the same allergy. Chick Fil A products cause him stomach cramps. You may read somewhere, as I did, that peanut oil is safe becuase it doesn't contain the protein, but don't risk it. He does have a mild reaction to just the oil.

I hope some of this helps,

Visit www.fastoftexas.org and www.foodallergy.org (FAAN)

Both can be a valuable resource. FAST of Texas has local groups for support and sounding board.

My son is allergic to wheat, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts. Fortunately for us he has not had any life threatening reactions. Watch the oils. Although it is said some can tolerate oils, we have found in the case of soy that my son cannot tolerate oil.

For a peanut butter alternative try Sunbutter. It is made from sunflower seeds.

Good luck and God Bless. You are not alone!

My 2 year old is allergic to peanuts (we found out when she had her second PB&J sandwich at about 16 months). Check out www.pofak.org for other resources for kids with food allergies. We don't go out to dinner much anymore, but when we do, we tell the waiter our daughter has a life-threatening allergy to peanuts and we need to make sure nothing she eats is cooked with peanut products or touchs peanuts. While I think the restaurants all take it seriously, you never know who is working in the back. Like the other moms said -- you have to get really good about reading labels. And even some products don't list peanuts on the labels but have them or were processed in the same place as peanuts. The pofak site lists some of these products I believe.

We're lucky that our mother's day out program takes food allergies seriously and has started to put "allergy" stickers on the little ones' backs and sends home notes regularly to parents asking them not to send peanut products to school. I'm worried about my daughter getting her hands on another child's PB&J sandwich or touching a toy that has peanut residue on it. :(

Good luck.

S.

A friend of mine's kid was diagnosed too... I just emailed her and she said to start at www.peanutaware.com and ask your allergist.

Always ask the server to find out what kind of oil is used in the kitchen. Peanut oil is more expensive than rapeseed (canola) or corn/vegetable oil, so it's generally used in high-end potato chips or french fries.
There are several websites that offer specifics (brand name, manufacturer) about peanut-free options. Just Google "peanut free foods" or "peanut allergy children" and you'll find a lot of help.
Get an Epi-Pen trainer if you don't have one already. Practice with it.
And the Epi-Pen STAYS ON THE KID. Not in the car, not in your purse, not in the refrigerator at school (!) it STAYS ON THE KID. There are belts and clips available for all ages. Once anaphylactic reaction begins, the process becomes more deadly and speeds up if the person walks/moves around. They must be injected and STAY STILL until the ambulance arrives or you get them to the hospital.
Best of luck to you. It's a lifestyle that is becoming more common now. You'll do fine, and so will your son as long as you remain vigilant at all times.

Chic FilA uses peanut oil to fry.